Page 12 of Pastel Kisses

Jaxton steps back instantly, shaking her off like an annoying mosquito. “No.” His tone is sharp, leaving no room for argument. “We’ve got it covered.”

Sarah’s expression tightens, her saccharine facade slipping for a fraction of a second before she plasters on another fake smile. “I was just offering support, Jaxy. Youknowhow much I care about you. Aboutallof you.” She lets her gaze sweep over us, as if that bullshit is going to work.

Lennox snorts. “Yeah? Then why don’t you support us from a distance?”

Sarah flicks her eyes to him, batting her lashes in what I assume she thinks is a coy expression. “I just thought—”

“No,” I cut in, my patience runningthin. “Youthoughtwrong. This is a private matter. You aren’t part of this.”

Her nostrils flare, her mask slipping even further, but she doesn’t argue. She just lets out an exasperated sigh, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Fine.”

She lingers a moment longer, like she’s waiting for Jaxton to stop her, but when he doesn’t even glance in her direction, she finally stomps off, her heels clicking against the pavement.

Liam exhales, muttering under his breath. “She’s getting desperate.”

Jaxton scrubs a hand down his face. “She’s always been desperate.”

Dan shakes his head, looking after her retreating form. “You boys better be careful with that one. She’s a rattlesnake waiting to strike.”

“You don’t have to tell us twice,” I mutter.

The tension clings to the air even after she’s gone, but we push it aside as we exchange quick goodbyes and head toward our cars. There’s work to be done at Avery’s house, and if this is all we can do for her right now, then we’ll damn well do it right.

The moment we pull up to Avery’s house, an eerie silence settles over us. The engine hums to a stop, but none of us move. We just sit there, staring at the place that should be filled with her laughter, her warmth, her life. Instead, it’s a ghost of what it once was, a painful reminder that she’s gone.

Liam is the first to break the silence, his voice rough. “I don’t know if I’m ready to see it like this.”

Jaxton exhales, running a hand down his face. “We have to be. This is her home, and we’re the only ones who can take care of it for her.”

Lennox grips the door handle but doesn’t open it yet. “It’s going to look exactly how it did that night. The cops didn’t clean up. They didn’t move a damn thing.”

That truth settles deep in my chest like a rock. The police had done their investigation, dusted for fingerprints, and searched for any clue they could find—but once they’d finished, they’d left it untouched. As if preserving the chaos would somehow bring us answers.

I nod toward the house. “Let’s go.”

The moment we step inside, the air shifts, thick and suffocating. Time hasn’t moved in here. It’s frozen in the nightmare of that night.

The roses—those goddamn roses—are still strewn across the floor, their petals brittle and lifeless, stained with the memory of what happened. The scattered furniture, the faint smudges of blood on the floor, the shattered glass—it’s all the same. The sight of it sends a fresh wave of rage crashing through me.

“Fuck,” Liam mutters, his jaw tight as he steps forward, his boots crunching over dried petals. “It’s like she was taken yesterday.”

Jaxton doesn’t speak. He just stands there, fists clenched at his sides. I can practically hear the thoughts racing through his head, the what-ifs, the blame, the torment.

Lennox walks toward the plants by the window, his fingers grazing the leaves that have started to wilt. “She’d be pissed if she saw this.”

I force myself to move, to shake off the paralyzing grief. “Then let’s fix it.”

Without another word, we get to work. It feels wrong—cleaning up the scene of her abduction like we’re trying to erase what happened—but this is her home. And if we’re going to bring her back, we want it to be exactly how she left it.

We start with the plants, giving them the water and care she would have. We pick up the broken glass, put the furniture back in place, and sweep away the dried remnants of the nightmare that unfolded here.

When everything is back in order—at least as much as it can be—I look around and take a deep breath. It still doesn’t feel right. It won’t until she’s home.

Liam leans against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. “We should ask Dan if we can stay here.”

Lennox turns to him. “Permanently?”

Liam nods. “We were supposed to move in with her the next day anyway. What difference does it make if we do it now?”

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